Railjet Trains Celebrating 10 Years on the Prague – Vienna Route

Railjet trainsets run from Prague to Vienna up to eight times a day in two-hour intervals. Since the introduction of this service, the number of passengers has increased by more than 40%. There are plans to extend the offer of services to be provided in the future.

Since the introduction of Railjet trains in 2014 on the Prague – Vienna – Graz route this train connection has represented an example of successful cooperation between České dráhy (ČD) and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). In 10 years, the number of passengers using these train services has increased by more than 40%.

At present, the Prague – Brno – Vienna – Graz railway line is served up to 8 times a day jointly by red ÖBB Railjets and blue ČD Railjets. One of these trainsets is extended daily to Dresden and Berlin. Today, on 24 June 2024, the ceremonial anniversary journey from Prague to Vienna takes place.

“Modern trains, high-quality offer, competitive and therefore attractive journey times, as well as regular timetable intervals have attracted thousands of new passengers to railway transport. I am convinced that in the upcoming years we will be able to expand the offer of direct services between the Czech Republic and Austria and to create conditions for intensified economic, cultural and tourist cooperation between the two countries. The experience we have gained over the last 10 years clearly sets out the development direction for the next 10 years,” says Michal Krapinec, Director General of ČD.

“The introduction of Railjet train services between Vienna and Prague has brought a clear increase in comfort in the field of international transport between the Czech Republic and Austria. The success of the joint offer of ÖBB and České dráhy has been reflected in a significant growth of the number of passengers. That is why we want to further expand the capacity offered on this important link in the upcoming years,” says Andreas Matthä, Director General of ÖBB, with satisfaction.

10 years of Railjet train operation from Prague to Vienna and Graz

In June 2014, the first Railjets started running between Prague, Vienna and Wiener Neustadt. The new Prague – Vienna – Graz line was introduced in December 2014 with a two-hour interval of seven pairs of trainsets in a cross-border transport service. In the 2018 timetable, the offer was extended with an additional pair of trains.

Overview of important details

Since the introduction of this train connection 10 years ago, travel times have been reduced and mobility between the two European capitals has improved markedly. There are currently eight couples of trains operated in the mode of daily connections. The journey time from Prague to Vienna is currently 4:05 hours, from Prague to Graz it is 6:49 hours and from Brno it takes 1:27 hours to reach Vienna.

In addition to the Prague – Brno – Vienna – Graz Railjet services, ČD and ÖBB offer other connections between Prague and Vienna through the South Bohemian Region and Waldviertel within the framework of their cooperation. From Prague, direct trains run twice a day via Tábor and Gmünd (NÖ) to the Wien FJB railway station.

Millions of satisfied passengers between Prague and Brno

Railjet units have offered a new, significantly higher quality of travelling by train also between the largest cities of the Czech Republic, namely Prague and Brno. “Although the railway corridor between Prague and Brno is a quarter longer than the D1 motorway, Railjet trains have succeeded in attracting many passengers who used to travel between the two cities by car, especially thanks to their speed, comfort and service guarantee. In ten years, we have transported more than 22 million passengers in the Czech Republic, and the interest in travelling on the Prague – Pardubice – Brno – Břeclav route has increased by more than 40 percent,” says Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors of České dráhy and Deputy Director General for Passenger Transport.

In addition to Prague and Brno, the Railjet trains also stop in Pardubice, Česká Třebová and Břeclav, offering a fast and comfortable connection between eastern Bohemia and Southern Moravia. The operation of modern trains thus provides benefits not only to passengers in international transport segments, but also to most of all citizens in the Czech Republic on their domestic journeys.

The Railjet services offer travelling in air-conditioned carriages. These trainsets include a restaurant car, passengers have a minibar at their disposal during the journey, they can use on-board Wi-Fi network, infotainment portals, sockets and USB connectors for charging their travel electronics. It is possible to work and relax on the board of the trainsets. There is a children’s cinema for the youngest passengers, while wheelchair users have a possibility of using a boarding ramp and dedicated comfort seats, and there are also special areas on the train for storing prams and bicycles. In the future, there are also plans to equip blue Railjets with repeaters to improve the reception of incoming telephone calls inside the trains.